Quick hits from the College World Series

Jun. 22, 2013

Berg slips up

UCLA’s David Berg entered Friday’s 4-1 win over UNC as one of the top closers in the country, allowing just seven runs in 741⁄3 innings. But in an inning of work against the Tar Heels, Berg allowed a run and walked two batters, the first time since Feb. 22 against Baylor that the sophomore walked as many in an inning. Berg got out of a bases-loaded jam to end the game.

Best arms face best bats

UCLA allowed one run in each of its three CWS games this year, boasting the tournament’s top ERA (1.00). They’ll collide with Mississippi State, which has the top offense in Omaha with a .297 average, 32 points better than Oregon State in second. On the other end of the spectrum, UCLA owns the worst batting average at .182. Its 16 hits in three games are nearly half of MSU’s 30.

Heart of lineup

Mississippi State’s 3-4-5 hitters clutter the 2013 CWS leaderboard. Hunter Renfroe, who hits third, leads all players with four RBIs and has one of three CWS home runs. The Bulldogs’ cleanup hitter, Brett Pirtle, is tied for the most runs scored in the series with four. Wes Rea, in the five hole, leads all hitters with at least 10 at-bats with a .462 average. His three doubles rank second to Oregon State’s Michael Conforto.

Rare meeting, common result

When Mississippi State and UCLA meet on MondaySQ it will be the first time since 2006 that two unseeded teams reached the final. Ironically, Oregon State and North Carolina played in that final — the two teams which MSU and UCLA eliminated this year. The matchup also guarantees seven of the last eight CWS champions will come from either the Pac 12 or SEC.